Hand-rest for book-keepers



(No Model.)

W. D. SLOAN.

HAND BEST FOR BOOK KEEPERS.

Patented May 29, 1888.

I I g N4 PETERS. mlw'flthugwhcr. Washinglon. D. C.

v UNITED STATES ATENT Erica,

HAND-REST FOR BOOK-KEEPERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,776, dated May 29, 1888.

Application filed September 10, 1887. Serial No. 240,405. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM D. SLOAN, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand-Bests for Book- Keepers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to that class of devices used by book-keepers to sustain the hand while writing or making entries at the lower parts of the pages, and it comprises certain novel combinations of parts,whereby the apparatus is firmly attached to the book,with a suitable plate placed substantially flush with the surface of the page to be written upon, and whereby a strong, simple, durable, and convenient apparatus for such and similar purposes is se cured.

Figure l is a side view, Fig. 2a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken in the line 00 w of Fig. 3, and Fig. 3 an inverted plan view, of an apparatus made according to my said invention.

A is a bottom plate, which, as represented in the drawings, is provided with sleeves a. B is a plate upon which the hand rests when the apparatus is in use, and which is provided with stems b, which fit into the sleeves a aforesaid, and with them constitute guides, which operate to permit the hand-supporting plate B to be moved to or from the plane of the plate A, this movement being of course in a direction at right angles to the planes of both of said plates. The inner edges, a and b, of the two plates lap past each other. Across the upper side of the inner portion of the plate A is provided a transverse stop or shoulder, a. The inner end of the hand-supporting plateB is preferably provided with a lip, d. Upon the under side of the plate B are brackets e, which support a shaft, 0, which extends transversely underneath the said plate B. This shaft serves as the fulcrum or axis of the two levcrsE E, which may be formed integral with each other of a single piece of wire and united by a bow, as at e, so that said levers may be simultaneously actuated. The inner ends of the levers pass through the eyes of the I bolts fin the under side of the adjacent end of theplate A. Spiral springs f f are fixed at their inner ends to the shaft Oaud have their outer ends, 0, extended and attached to the inner arms of the levers E E in such manner as to tend to press said inner arms upward toward the hand-supporting-plate B, and consequently to force the inner end of the plate A upward toward or against the adjacent end of the hand-supporting plate B.

When the apparatus is applied to use, the bottom portions of any suitable number of leaves, A, of the volume, either with or without the adjacent bottom of the lowermost cover thereof, are inserted between the inner ends of the plates A and B, the shoulder or stop 0 pressing against the adjacent edges of the leaves or cover, one or both, as the case may be, to bring the apparatus squarely in due relation therewith. The bottoms of the leaves being thus grasped or gripped between the inner ends of the plates A and B, with the plate A extending underneath the same, the top of the plate B is substantially flush with the surface of the uppermost of said leaves, thereby affording a rest for the hand of the writer while writing upon the said surface of said leaf, even to the lowermost line thereof.

In order to remove the apparatus from the volume, it is only necessary to bring the outer or long a1 ms of the levers E E upward toward the hand-supporting plate B, thereby separating the plates A and B and releasing what had previously been gripped between them.

The springs f f are preferably made intogral with each other and connected by a loop, f which is caught upon the head of a pin, g, in the shaft 0 in such manner as to suitably attach the inner ends of said spring to said shaft.

Vhat I claim as my invention is-- 1. A book-keepers hand-rest composed of overlapping bottom plate, A, and handsupporting plate B, arranged in parallel planes, a sliding guide-connection for maintaining such relation of the parts, and devices for adjusting said plates at their lapping parts to grip the same to the book to hold the plate B in position to support the hand in the operation of writing, substantially as forth.

2. The combination of the plate A, having a terminal angle-rest, c, and the plate B, having a terminal angle-rest, d, arranged to abut and lap each other end for end, and devices connecting said plates at their lapping edges, whereby the said plates may be clamped and maintained in parallel relation to each other upon the edge of a book, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the plate A, the plate B, guides permittinga movement of the plates in a direction transverse to their plane, and a spring arranged to press toward each other the lapping edges of the said plates, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

4. The combination of the plate A, provided herein set with the sleeves a, the plate B, provided with the stems b, and a spring arranged to press the lapping edges of said plates toward each other, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

5. The combination of the plate A, provided with the sleeves a, the plate B, provided with the stems b, springs f f, and the levers E E, arranged to press the lapping edges of said plates toward each other, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

6. The combination of the plate A, provided with the sleeves a, the plate B, provided with the stems b, springs ff, and the levers E E, formed integral with each other and arranged to press the lapping edges of said plates toward each other, substantially as and for the 35 purpose herein set forth.

WILLIAM D. SLOAN.

. Witnesses:

CHARLES A. HERBERT, WILLIAM J. LYNCH. 

